Page:American Medical Biographies - Kelly, Burrage.djvu/1179

TOWNSEND 1157 TOWNSEND He married, in 1880, Mary E. Thompson, of Sonth Carolina, who, with two sons and a daughter, survived him. He died on September 15, 1893, from hemor- rhage of the stomach, after a few hours' ill- ness, having been taken while delivering his first lecture of the session. He was the author of Towles' "Notes on Anatomy," which were based upon Dr. Davis' lectures, "Syllabus of Notes on Osteology" and "Syllabus of Notes on Materia Medica." Robert M. Slaughter. Trans. Med. Soc. of Virginia, 1893, 223-225. Townsend, David (1753-1829). David Townsend, son of Shippie and Ann Balch Townsend, was born in Boston, June 7, 1753, and died in the same city, April 13, 1829. He was descended in the fourth generation from Thomas Townsend of Norfolk, England, who came to Massachusetts in 1637. David was graduated from Harvard College in 1770 and received his honorary M. D. in 1813. He studied medicine under Gen. Joseph Warren, and accompanied him as surgeon in Bunner's regiment to the battle of Bunker Hill ; was commissioned surgeon to the sixth regi- ment of foot, commanded by Col. Asa Whit- comb, January 1, 1776; was senior surgeon to the General Hospital, Northern department, in March, 1777, and was with the army under Washington during the winter at Valley Forge. On October 9, 1781, he was made surgeon- general of the hospital department. For many years and up to the time of death he was phy- sician in charge of the U. S. Marine Hospital in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Dr. Townsend was an active member of the Massachusetts Medical Society from 1785 to 1824, when he retired, and he was one of the charter members of the Society of the Cin- cinnati, being secretary of the Massachusetts chapter from 1817 to 1821, vice-president from 1821 to 1825 and president from 1825 to 1829. He married Elizabeth Davis, May 24, 1785. Their son, Solomon Davis Townsend (q. v.), became a noted surgeon of the Massachusetts General Hospital, and there were six other children. Dr. David Townsend was an ardent Univer- salist in religion and published a book entitled, "Gospel News," in 1794. He was a Mason and was buried according to their rites, in Revere Beach, at low tide. Walter L. Burrage. Memorials of the Townsend family, through Chas. W. Townsend. M. D.. a grandson. Med. Men of the Revolution. J. M. Toner, 1876. Townsend, Solomon Davis (1793-1869). Solomon Davis Townsend, performer of the second operation under ether anesthesia in .merica, was the son of Dr. David (q. v.) and Elizabeth Davis Townsend, and was born in Boston. March 1, 1793. He died September 19, 1869. He married his cousin, Catherine Wendell Davis, October i, 1819, and had four children. Charles Wendell Townsend, a grandson, son of Thomas Davis, became a physician in Bos- ton, and a noted ornithologist and author. Solomon Davis was graduated from Har- vard College in 1811, and took his M. D. there in 1815, after he had served three years as naval surgeon, chiefly in the Mediterranean on the Independence under Com. Bainbridge. Here he became a friend of Farragut, then a midshipman, afterwards admiral, and a warm friendship began which lasted through life. Townsend was a member of the surgical staff of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, for twenty-five years, and was present at the first operation performed under ether in 1846. From 1840 to 1843 he was corresponding secretary of the Massachusetts Medical So- ciety. He was president of the board of direc- tors of the Massachusetts Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary. His home was at 18 Somerset Street, later occupied by the New England Historic Gene- alogical Society, of which he was once a mem- ber. Walter L. Burrage. Memorials of the Townsend Family, through Chas. W. Townsend. M. D. Med. Commun. Mass. Med. Soc. vol. ii, p. 178. Bost. Med. and Surg. Jour., vol. Ixxxi, p. 140. Portrait in possession of Chas. W. Townsend. Townsend, Wisner Robinson (1856-1916). Wisner Ro))inson Townsend, New York orthopedist, was born at Clifton, New York, August 5, 1856, the son of Wisner Helme Townsend, a merchant, and Emily Haywood Kyle Townsend. He received his preparatory education in the Charlier School, New York City, and took an A. B. degree at Columbia College in 1877, and an M. D. from its Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons in 1880, the same j'ear taking an A. M. He then served as surgical interne at Bellevue Hospital, and moved to South Pittsburg, Tennessee, where he engaged in general practice until 1888. Re- turning to New York he became assistant sur- geon to the hospital of the New York So- ciety for the Relief of the Ruptured and Crip- pled, and from that time practised orthopedics. He was a Fellow of the American Medical I Association ; second vice-president in 1914- ' 1915; a member of the House of Delegates